Well, Barnes & Noble has the Nook. Looks like every new gadget will try to set it's own prices and deny anyone else to sell for less or more. As far as Amazon is concerned, they don't need to buy the e-titles that don't fit their scale. It means that publishers who deal with Ipad can sell only through Ipad. That is not good for authors or publishers. Basically, Ipad is engaging in price-fixing or demanding exclusives.
Does this surprise anybody? It makes no sense whatsoever (for buyers) to own a gadget that can only read its own software. That's like having a computer that can only connect to your own website. When these e-reader thingies go to an open-source format, then I'll think about taking them seriously. Until then, they're just another capitalist extortion device.
This is one reason I am glad that I got a Sony reader. I didn't want a Kindle because of all the things I heard Amazon can do. I heard they can go into a person's Kindle library or whatever and erase books or whatever! I don't want Amazon having that kind of power over what I'm reading. I remember last year some glitch happened and a book that was a Kindle on Amazon was the wrong version or something, or they didn't have copyright. Something, but whatever it was, Amazon went into everyone's Kindle database who'd ordered that book and erased it from their machines! A lot of people weren't happy with that.
Amazon's too controlling to me. It makes me wonder if they're gonna start trying to dictate what their kindle customers read. They might get so pitiful they start replacing your titles at will, LOL. Who knows?